Read Lou’s Story

Hi, Lou Netta from West Chester, Pennsylvania. I came here to By Design. Actually my wife saw an ad in our local paper, The Daily Local, and she looked into it because I had no upper teeth. I had like three teeth on this side and two on this side and that had been a number of years. I guess she was getting tired of it too. I didn’t want to be in pictures or nothing. I couldn’t eat what I love. She called and made the appointment. We came in here and had a talk with one of the representatives. He explained everything. It was really cool. I was apprehensive at the start to be honest with you, but the way he explained it and all because I had a terrible fear of dentists. My problem was just neglect of my teeth because I had this unearthly fear of dentists and I met the dentist here and the rep I met the same day and I just was so comfortable with them I just went ahead and my wife and I thought maybe it would just be a partial on the bottom and a couple things on top, but they explained the situation and my wife and I talked. They were very good and gave us an idea of everything and I was really comfortable with it so we went home and talked about it and decided, “Let’s go for it.” These people here were outstanding. I loved every minute of talking to them, learning about it from the front desk person, techs, dentists, doctors. It was great.

I have this great fear of pain. I came in and it was a one day situation and we decided on doing the uppers and the lowers. I came in the day of the surgery. I came in early in the morning. I was nervous, but went in there. They had to pull the lower teeth and all and that was so easy and I was partially asleep. I didn’t even feel anything. It was great. Then they went ahead and put the studs in the mouth. Afterwards I went into a room there where you sit in a nice comfortable chair and they do slushies and all, which was right in my wheelhouse. I was diabetic and had heart surgery a few years before and they checked with all the doctors and the whole bit, but it was so painless. I stayed there. You stay in a whole day. Then my wife came to pick me up and they brought her in because I had the teeth in already. She couldn’t believe it. She almost dropped. I wish she was here. I mean it was funny and thanks to her coaxing is why we decided to do it, but it was something that day and they gave you pain pills. “If you have pain or if anything goes wrong, you call us anytime.” Went home, never filled the prescription for the pain pills, which shocked me. I didn’t need anything.

Next day I was eating like they said, the soft foods, slushies and whatnot, mashed potatoes. It was outstanding. I mean no pain whatsoever, which shocked me. If I had known it was going to be that easy I would have went a lot sooner. I mean no pain. No discomfort either. Then I started eating chicken because I love my chicken. It’s embarrassing to eat chicken. I love chicken legs and you pull it apart and you can’t really eat steak or corn on the cob, which I’m addicted to. I couldn’t eat that because I had no teeth, but after a few months, I took it easy like they said and I cheated a couple of times and had corn, but I could eat corn on the cob. Even family once they saw me because nobody knew I was having this done, they couldn’t believe it. They were wondering what was new with me. Even my brother. He couldn’t believe the difference. My kids loved it because I was smiling a lot more, didn’t mind pictures and like I said, I loved eating my corn on the cob, my steak and all the stuff I couldn’t eat.

I tell you in all honesty, the people here from the front desk people through the techs, everybody was outstanding. The dentist, he was great to me. The follow up was unbelievable. They would call me at home to check in. “How do you feel? Is everything alright? Do you have any discomfort? If you do come in.” I didn’t have, knock on wood, I didn’t have any problem through all this and it still shocks me and I don’t feel them in my mouth and the reason I couldn’t wear denture plates is because I have a gag reflex and I thought this would be the same thing. Nothing. It feels like my own. I forget they’re in there.

It’s nice to get up and brush my teeth instead of taking them out and dropping them in a jar. It was outstanding and I tell all my friends that are having problems, they’re embarrassed because I was. I always looked miserable, I’ll admit it. Now it’s fun to laugh, kid around and I’m not even afraid to talk because when you talk your mouth is open and people notice that. I looked about twenty years older than I am and it was just a great change. My wife, like I said, the expression on her face after we had it all done was unbelievable, unbelievable. She couldn’t believe it was me.

I can’t say enough about this place. I wish I could find the right words to tell you about these people. No pain, I could eat, it was just a really fascinating experience. I mean nobody feared dentists more than me. I’m serious. I was terrible with dentists. I wouldn’t want to see one. I would almost pass out if I knew I had to go. I even hated to go when I had dentures and I went through so many dentures trying to find the right fit. It was never there. Come here if you want to live happy, do stuff you wanted to do, you eat what you want. Go this way. Don’t suffer like I did for so many years. I was ridiculous. I could kick myself.

Read Alma’s Story

Hi, my name is Alma; I’m from Downingtown, Pennsylvania, and I had All-on-4 uppers done. Let me tell you how I came to By Design Dental. I had been going and searching for dentists and getting the same results. My upper teeth were getting loose and misshapen. My chewing was bad and the dentist kept telling me to come back, come back, come back and he would do some temporary things and nothing was getting better. Finally they were making an appointment for three months out, and I said “No, I’m never coming back.”

I went on the internet, and I decided to search and search. I knew there had to be a better answer for me, one that included me in the process of making the decision. I found out about All-on-4, and then I looked some more, looked in every internet and every video I could find on the internet, and I found two places that were kind of local. One was outside of Philadelphia and one was By Design. I called the first one and went all the way to the interview process. They said something and something just didn’t click right.

I called By Design and from the moment I called them it felt like the right place for me to be. I came in and every step of the way they included me in the process. They made me feel very comfortable. They explained every single step that I would take and they told me that they had a comprehensive team right here in this facility. Having worked with teams and even taught team work, you often come to places that talk about team and they really are not a team, but when I came here they absolutely are a team. You never get the sense that you’re not a part of the decision making process. You never walk away not feeling that you understand what’s going to happen to you.

I began the process, and I will say it was a journey. But every step of the way, they did everything they could do to make me comfortable. Then I got my permanent teeth, just a little over a month ago. Already, I just get so many compliments. I can’t get over how many compliments I do get and having never had a smile that I felt wonderful about, this is really great. Everyone on the staff will make you feel comfortable. I do believe and highly recommend By Design to anyone who is not happy with their smile or uncomfortable with their teeth and their chewing.

Let me tell you a little bit about my journey and why I decided to have All-on-4. I grew up in a small town in Ohio and I was one of eight children with wonderful parents but very challenged I would say financially taking care of dental work for all of their children. I was born with a historic in our family severe overbite and I think I had the worst one of the whole tribe and a giant gap in my teeth that you could drive a truck through. I always felt that my smile kind of held me back, and I always searched for an answer to that as I became an adult, and I was always given the same answer – that there was really nothing that they could do, that I would always have an overbite, that even standard dentures would not work for me. As I got older, my teeth began to shift and they got even worse, but still all conventional dentists that I went to — and I searched for Cosmetic Dentists, anything you could think of — I tried to find an answer. Always they told me that because of the spacing and the gap and overbite, even if they took my teeth out, I would not be happy with the results; I would still have a gap and I would still have an overbite.

I went through the process of the dentist trying to save the smile that I was terribly unhappy with anyway and didn’t want to save. Then on top of them wanting me to come back every three months for this “fix” that wasn’t really helping and they told me that I would pay this and come at all these different times they still would some day have to pull my teeth and give me dentures that I wouldn’t be happy with. I finally just got fed up with the whole process and I said, “I am not coming back. There has got to be an answer out there for me and I’m going to find it.”

Thank goodness for the internet because I got on it and I started searching and searching for an answer for me, and I discovered All-on-4. I read pages and pages of people’s experience and how they felt about their teeth after it was done, and I said, “That’s got to be the answer for me. Let me see if I can find somebody locally that can do that.” Again the internet was my answer. I looked up a couple of local dentists and by luck or happenstance or providence, I found By Design Dentists, and I am so thankful. That’s what I can say, I am so thankful that I did.

The process has been a journey, I won’t deny that. It has been a journey, but the journey has been made comfortable and helpful for me because of the way I was treated here by the staff. Everyone was just wonderful and made sure that I was comfortable from the beginning and also that I was happy with the results and let me smile for you because I am happy with the results. I’m new with this. I haven’t had my teeth very long, but I think I smile a lot in the mirror and I’m trying to get used to this person who is smiling back with me. It was definitely a life-changing experience.

I’m ready to go and talk and to meet people and to be out in the public a little more. I just wish if you are thinking about this, don’t wait until you’re old and retired like me. Do it now. Do it as soon as you can.